By Jacob Ajom

Curtains will draw today for preliminaries of the football event of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Games, NOGIG 2026 as semi-final matches will be played at the Renaissance Pitch in Port Harcourt.

To do battle for tickets to the national final holding next month in Abuja are NNPC, NLNG, NMDPR and OANDO.

In the first semi final, NNPCL will settle scores with NLNG, while NMDPRA will be taking on OANDO in the second semi final. Winners of the two semi final matches will clash in the final billed for next month at the MKO Abiola National stadium in Abuja.

Similarly, the losers of today’s encounters will still have a feel of the final when they engage each other in the third place match which will precede the final showdown on the final day. 

In the quarter final matches played yesterday, NLNG defeated TotalEnergies 4-0, while  NMDPRA pipped PTI 1-0. 

In other ties, NCDMB were 3 – 4 winners over OANDO via penalty after a barren draw in regulation time while NNPC edged NUPRC 2-0.

Meanwhile, results from the golf tournament show that SEPLAT won the team event, NLNG finished second while NUPRC placed third.

Nile won the nearest to the pin in the ladies category.  Judith igwugwu won the Longest Drive. In the men’s category, Alkasim H won Nearest to the pin prize, while Abubakar Hassan won the Longest Drive.

In handicap (1-36)  category(ladies) Adesina A, Obioma A and Athieme Lolomark placed first, second and third respectively while in the men’s category, Iliroma Stanley, Inusa Joel and Victor Ukpong finished first second and third respectively.

Speaking ahead of the Renaissance Pitch yesterday, Chairman of the NOGIG 2026 Dr Sulaiman Sulaiman commended members of the Local Organising Committee for the wonderful work they have put in, alluding that the main event would be be successful.

“So far so good, from the preliminaries to the golf event, the organisation has been perfect while I commend our hosts, Renaissance for giving us standard facilities for the football event.”

He assured that the Abuja Games will be wonderful.”